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FusionReactor 10.0.1 update released Jun 22 2023: resources and thoughts

If you're using FusionReactor, note that a 10.0.1 update was released last month, Jun 22, with a few bug fixes/improvements. (Sorry for the delay in reporting this. It's been a busy few weeks.)

For more on the update, as well as help on installing such FR updates, read on.

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Announcing Java updates of Jul 2023 for 8, 11, 17, and 20: resources and thoughts

It's that time again: there are new JVM updates released today (Jul 18, 2023) for the current long-term support (LTS) releases of Oracle Java, 8, 11, and 17, as well as the current interim update 20.

TLDR: The new updates are 1.8.0_381 (aka 8u381), 11.0.20, 17.0.8, and 20.0.2 respectively). For more on each of them, including what changed and the security fixes they each contain (including their CVE scores regarding urgency of concerns), see the Oracle resources I list below. Oracle calls them "critical patch updates" (yep, CPU), but they are in fact scheduled quarterly updates, so that "critical" nomenclature may sometimes be a bit overstated. And as is generally the case with these Java updates, most of them have the same changes and fixes across the 4 JVM versions, though not always.

For some folks, that's all they need to hear. For others, read on.

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Announcing CF update released Jul 14 2023: a second priority 1 security update in one week

Just days after a P1 security update released on Jul 11, Adobe has released yet another on Jul 14 (CF2023 update 2, CF2021 update 8, and CF2018 update 18). (I don't recall such a short gap between updates before, so yes: it's unusual.)

For more on the update, and some additional thoughts, read on.

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Announcing ColdFusion update released Jul 11 2023: Priority 1 security update

Folks using CF2023, 2021, or 2018 will want to know that a Priority 1 security update has been released today affecting all 3 releases, update 1 for CF2023 (its first), update 7 for CF2021, and update 17 for CF2018 (its last). The security bulletin indicates that the updates "resolve critical and important vulnerabilities that could lead to arbitrary code execution and security feature bypass".

Update: 3 days after this update, Adobe released yet another, and then 4 days after that they released yet another, both p1 security updates. While I have posts on each of the two subsequent updates, the one on Jul 14 and then the one on Jul 19, the information below is still important and has details that I do not repeat in the later post.

For more resources as well as some additional thoughts on the updates, read on.

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Announcing ColdFusion emergency update released March 14 2023: what to do about it

If you've not heard, a new update has been released (March 14, 2023) for ColdFusion 2021 and 2018. Despite what you may hear, this is an URGENT (rated "Priority 1" by Adobe) update that everyone should apply ASAP, for reasons I will explain in this post. In fact, Hackernews reported yesterday (Mar 16) that the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) had issued an urgent warning about this, giving federal agencies a deadline to apply the update.

TLDR; For some folks, the above may be all you need to hear: you may be dropping your coffee and donuts now to get the update applied. Still others will see this "huge post" and think, "crap, I don't have time for this". For you, skip to the bottom and its "concluding key points". You can then decide what you think you do or don't "need to know" and pick and choose from the sections as you like.

Finally, for those who prefer because of the importance of all this to be led more carefully through understanding things (in a way that's worked for the many people I have helped so far this week, and is far more than either Adobe or Hackernews has shared), please do read on.

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Be aware that ColdFusion 2018 end-of-life (and end of updates) is coming July 2023

Are you still running ColdFusion 2018? Did you know that its end-of-life is July 13, 2023? That's the date that "core" support ends--meaning, no more updates from Adobe after that, not even security fixes.

As for CF2021, it gets updates into 2025, and the currently running pre-release of CF2023 is a great sign for the continued vitality of CF. But this looming deadline for CF2018 is a reminder that as the years roll on, we not only get new versions but we must say good-bye to old ones.

Wondering what you can do? or when CF2021 or CF2023 support will end also? And what's the difference between "core" and "extended" support Adobe sells? (The extended support plan does NOT provide updates beyond this coming July.) For more on these, including official Adobe documentation that discusses such things, as well as my thoughts on migration, costs, various options to consider, and more, do read on.

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Beware that latest Oracle JDK installers will REMOVE older JDK installs of that version

Here's something new to beware, a change in the most recent Oracle JDK installers for Java 11 or 17 (since Jan 2023) which could break your apps which rely on Java, whether on Windows, macOS, or via RPM, where the new Oracle jdk installer WILL REMOVE any previous updates of that JVM version that were created by previous JDK installers of that same major version. And it will do pretty much without warning, which may be a confusing shock for those caught unaware. Let me explain.

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Restoring the CF Admin logviewer removed in Oct 2022 CF updates, at your own risk

As of the Oct 2022 CF updates (CF2021 update 5 and CF2018 update 15), Adobe has chosen to remove the CF Admin feature to view, search, download, and delete CF logs, due to asserted (but as-yet undocumented) security concerns.

What if you want it back? In this post, I explain what changed, why, and how to get the functionality back--albeit at your own risk. For more, read on.

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Special offer: upgrade to ColdFusion 2021 from CF2016 or earlier, saving perhaps thousands of $$

If you're running CF2016 or earlier, now's your chance (though the end of the year Feb 28, 2023) to save potentially thousands of dollars in upgrading to the latest current version, CF2021. Intergral, the folks who make the FusionReactor monitoring tool and service, are again offering a special deal of 25% off to upgrade CF2016 or earlier to CF2021 (a deal which even Adobe does not offer).

Read on for more details.

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How to solve "Failed Signature verification", for downloads of ColdFusion updates--since Oct 2022

If you try to download a CF update using the ColdFusion Administrator AND you get an error, "error occurred while installing the update: Failed Signature Verification", there are both a couple of possible explanations (one of them new), both with fairly simple solutions.

Update Jul 2023: Before considering what I share in this post, note that if you have updated your CF to use the Java update from Jul 2023, the cause of this error may be due to a totally different issue. See my post from July 2023 on that matter.

Update Feb 2023: In mid-February 2023, Adobe did re-sign their jars and placed them on the uploads site so that either the CF Admin update download or anyone performing a manual download after that date WOULD get the newly signed jars, and the problem below then no longer happens. (They are now signed as "SHA256withRSA, 4096-bit key".) I leave the rest here still for those who would want to understand what DID happen and why the update jars that were in place then DID change (slightly) for this reason.

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